Observations

Unlike Saturday when the Hawks seemed to get a little loose late in their blowout, they put in a complete 60-minute shut down and domination on Wednesday. Once they mounted their lead, Chicago simply controlled things in the Jets end, or forced them to the boards (or through the glass) if a threat was close to occurring.

I get the feeling that Toews was a little disappointed he didn’t score in Winnipeg. He (along with many of his teammates in all reality) was on his game. The Blackhawks superstars were just that on the night. They showed the Jets how big money players are supposed to play and I hope a few of the guys were at least taking notes as Patrick Kane danced around them.

Once again, Keaton Ellerby and Adam Pardy were far from the worst pairing on the ice. For a duo made up of a guy who was a rather unexpected signing and a waiver wire pickup, I’ve liked their game. Are they ever going to move up the depth chart? Not a chance. But they are a better third pairing than we’ve seen in quite some time in Winnipeg. Bummer Mark Stuart is a walk on caliber player for Noel.

Yikes Bryan Little. He’s been one of the best Jets this year, but he simply stayed home for this one.

Dustin Byfuglien really had a rough night. Questionable decision making, more shots without a goal, and play that directly resulted in at least two Chicago goals. People have really hated on Buff since he’s been struggling (note: it started when he and Enstrom were split), but I wonder if maybe he is just trying to do too much? We all saw his reaction against Detroit when they scored short-handed. I think it could be possible that he is taking this stretch very personally, and is trying to take too much responsibility into his own hands. He’s been initiating the rush more often of late, and without a reliable partner it is leaving the Jets vulnerable to break downs. So while everyone else is mad at the guy, I am seeing someone who really just wants to fix this problem.

The Jets third line was once again the most effective on the night. I have never been a fan of Scheifele playing on the third line, but I recently had it pointed out to me that if there is one aspect of his game that he can’t learn in another league, it’s his shut down/grinding role. In every other level he was/will be an elite scorer, meaning that whenever he did eventually enter the NHL he would be vulnerable in the defensive end. If he isn’t meshing well on that second line, the Jets might as well improve his ability at playing defense and controlling the puck. I like that he is playing with a player like Michael Frolik to learn this role, and thus far, the two of them with Halischuk have actually been an effective group.

I guess props to the fourth line? For whatever reason, Claude decided that they were the Jets best chance to come back in the third and handed them a load of playing time. They didn’t really produce anything (shocker!), but I guess having two of the three finishing at only -1 was pretty good.

Moving Forward

Remaining possibly the most inconsistent team in the league, the Jets continue to struggle when it comes to finding any type of identity. At this point I don’t see it changing without something drastic occurring, so buckle up and try to enjoy the rollercoaster kids.